red; but this horror of the
medicine in the bottle went beyond him, and he seemed to himself to be
parting the last strands that united him to God. The boat carried him on
to reprobation, to damnation; and he suffered himself to be carried
passively consenting, silently bidding farewell to his better self and
his hopes.

Huish sat by his side in towering spirits that were not wholly genuine.
Perhaps as brave a man as ever lived, brave as a weasel, he must still
reassure himself with the tones of his own voice; he must play his part
to exaggeration, he must out-Herod Herod, insult all that was
respectable, and brave all that was formidable, in a kind of desperate
wager with himself.

"Golly, but it's 'ot!" said he. "Cruel 'ot, I call it. Nice d'y to get
your gruel in! I s'y, you know, it must feel awf'ly peculiar to get
bowled over on a d'y like this. I'd rather 'ave it on a cowld and frosty
morning, wouldn't you? (Singing) ''_Ere we go round the mulberry bush on
a cowld and frosty mornin'._' (Spoken) Give you my word, I 'aven't
thought o' that in ten year; used to sing it at a hinfant school in
'Ackney, 'Ackney Wick it was. (Singing) '_This is the way the tyler
does, the tyler does._' (Spoken) Bloomin' 'umbug.--'Ow are you off now,
for the notion of a future styte? Do you cotton to the tea-fight views,
or the old red-'ot bogey business?"

"O, dry up!" said the captain.

"No, but I want to know," said Huish. "It's within the sp'ere of
practical politics for you and me, my boy; we may both be bowled over,
one up, t'other down, within the next ten minutes. It would be rather a
lark, now, if you only skipped across, came up smilin' t'other side, and
a hangel met you with a B. and S. under his wing. 'Ullo, you'd s'y:
come, I tyke this kind."

The captain groaned. While Huish was thus airing and exercising his
bravado, the man at his side was actually engaged in prayer. Prayer,
what for? God knows. But out of his inconsistent, illogical, and
agitated spirit, a stream of supplication was poured forth, inarticulate
as himself, earnest as death and judgment.

"Thou Gawd seest me!" continued Huish. "I remember I had that written in
my Bible. I remember the Bible too, all about Abinadab and
parties.--Well, Gawd!" apostrophising the meridian, "you're goin' to see
a rum start presently, I promise you that!"

The captain bounded.

"I'll have no blasphemy!" he cried, "no blasphemy in my boat."

"All right, cap'," said Huis